Thoroughly Modern

My friend Penny joined me for a dinner the other night, and working in fashion, she is probably more aware of all that is supposedly "so-hot-right-now" than most, so I am always interested to hear what new language has permeated the hip crowd. A few years ago I noticed the introduction of the word "so" to evoke a sense of extremes, eg. "I'm so not going to be going", and this time around, it's another seemingly innocent word's turn.

"Modern".

Now, normally I'd just dismiss Penny's observations as just another devious marketing technique - I'm sure that there are people employed to think up new & cool ways of using commonplace expressions everyday, but I have a special place for the word modern. I remember as a child in the early seventies, being modern was the epitome of the forward-thinking, new wave that would (hopefully) herald a new age. Man had conquered the moon, Australia had managed to survive the loss of a prime minister, and now were were in the era of Gough & the "It's Time!" concept of change, so being modern didn't just mean buying that burnt orange laminated kitchen setting, it was all about breaking away from the six o'clock swill culture.

I guess that's why I have such a strong affinity with this era of Australian history & culture, as it's what I grew up surrounded by. Not that my parents were Brett Whitley/Richard Neviile/Germaine Greer arty types at all - my family was thoroughly suburban, with a weatherboard house, a Labrador in the backyard, a Holden in the driveway, and Disneyland on the telly every Sunday night in front of the oil heater.

When I first became aware of modernist architecture, it was so far removed from what I imagined my cultural roots to be, that I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. I couldn't grasp the idea that amongst the triple-fronted blonde brick houses of my youth, could stand these time-capsules of modernity, which were conceived in the post-war period, and built throughout the fifties and early sixties in the suburbs of Sydney & Melbourne (albeit affluent ones).

All I knew was that I needed to know more, so I started a crusade to learn all that I could about Modernism. Of course the first building I discovered was the "Rose Seidler House", in the Sydney suburb of Wahroonga, with it's flat roof, it's elevated walkway, and large steel windows - it's a landmark dwelling, and one that is thoroughly modern.


Rose Seidler House

Further research led to the discovery of an open day at this Mecca of Modernism, so obviously, I had to visit. But it is so much more than an open day, but an actual fifties fair, with folks dressed in period costume, vendors selling fifties collectables, and even a fashion show & dance contest.



How great I thought, a chance to browse some stalls, tap my toe to some fifties tunes, but best of all, visit the object of my desire. Many emails were circulated, and I managed to gather quite a posse together of like-minded punters, all keen to check it out. A few of us traveled up from Melbourne, and it gave us the chance to catch up with mates from Sydney too, whom were largely ignorant that this event even took place, let alone that the house existed.

What a fabulous day we had, with film crews shooting the event, great food, friendly folks, and some real bargains to be had at the market stalls, with the only negative being the house itself. Now I should explain, the house is fabulous, and has been kept pretty much as Harry Seidler first built it back in the late forties. It had the wonderful stone fireplace, and massive windows, the elevated pathway, and the abstract mural which Seidler painted himself. It was indeed the time capsule that I had hoped for, and I took many photographs to capture the memory.

So what's the negative? The place was crawling with people, and I don't mean crowds, I mean a multitude! What made it worse was that I was competing with people whom seemed oblivious to the significance of the building, and were just there to "have a squizz". Fair enough I guess, but please people, when in a historic house, keep your kids off the furniture! Don't complain that the furnishings are a bit drab, and worst of all, don't get in my frame when I'm taking photos.


The swarms of people

The upshot of all of this is that I will make another pilgrimage to this place another time, but even though it was difficult to get a real feel for the house with all of those people scowering every inch of it, it was well worth the trip.

So people, if you hear someone use the expression "modern" in the coming months, think not "What a tosser!", think of the past.

Let's face it, the Marketers will be finished with the word in a few months, and then we can have it back again...

Lisa Miller

Regret is such a powerful emotion - is it even an emotion? Well it was regret that filled my heart as I stood in the Spanish Club last weekend, nodding to my buddies, as I tried to convince them I was listening to their inane conversations about their working weeks, but all the while, I was training my good ear (the right one) towards the stage, where Lisa Miller performed.

I'd seen her perfom very briefly at The Forum a month or two back during the Comedy Festival, as she filled a gap in the taping of Rock Wiz, and this was my first opportunity to catch her in a full show (well as full as a supporting spot can be I guess).

And Lisa did not disappoint.

But why regret? Well, it was with regret that I had not seen her perform before - in a word, she is fabulous.

The salubrious Shane O'Mara helped proceedings along, with his sensational guitar work, and between the entire ensemble, Lisa & her band transported us from light into shade, and back again.

If Lisa comes to your town, go. And take your mum - she'd love it too...

How a Laptop Saved Music, and Unlocked an Electronic Maestro...

If technology has proven one thing, it's that a great spirit, a fertile imagination, and a little know-how, when mixed with the right hardware, can be the catalyst for genius.

Case in point - a few years ago, I really got into the Jack Planck album, "To Hell With You I'll Make My Own People", a musical cornucopia of great electronic sounds, put together by Garret "Jacknife" Lee. This sounded like it had been lovingly put together piece by piece, all the while remaining true to it's inner sense of humour, and good time ethic. It sounded like Kraftwerk on acid, improvising a live soundtrack to The Benny Hill Show, and put many smiles on the faces of the various folks I played it to, all the while tapping their toes to the beats.

So, I was very pleasantly surprised to hear of Goyte, a fellow Victorian with the same vision, awesome song writing skills, and a fabulous artistic vision. Perhaps instead of it being a spaced-out-but-groovy soundtrack to The Benny Hill Show, it's more like it was designed for Blankety Blanks or The Paul Hogan Show, with a bit of The Penthouse Club thrown in for good measure.

His album, "Like Drawing Blood" is a peach, and was introduced to me by a couple of friends whom although live a long way away from any city, are more on track in regard to the latest & greatest new sounds being created anywhere in the world. I guess that's our friend technology kicking in again. It has apparently been quite a hit with the "young folks" out there, with Goyte managing to have a couple of his tunes selected in the latest Triple J Hottest 100.

I used to listen to this record only whilst at work, as I found it's tunes to be great to tap away the hours to, but after catching a video of Goyte on the TV the other night, I am now listening to this quite a bit more often. When I found that particular performance on YouTube, I was compelled to write...

So here's the live-in-the-studio version of "Learnalilgivinanlovin", and the beautiful CGI video for "Heart's a Mess"...

...writing's on the wall

I heard on the radio yesterday that the Beastie Boys are about to release a fully instrumental album, with no samples, no turntables, and just full-on funk jams, so I thought I'd go to their site & check it out (pun intended).

I became very excited by what I found there, yet it had nothing at all to do with the Beastie Boys, although their own material sounds great. Founding member Mike D has posted the following clip because, as he puts it, "this clip is so damn good, I just had to put it here. Check it".

So who am I to question the advice of Mike D?



And by the way, this is live on Sesame Street! Does it get any better than this? Nup...

Hey Hugo - the Australian Style Council needs you!

Just finished reading a very entertaining piece in The Age re Hugo Chavez's advice to Fidel Castro :

"Venezuela's leftist President Hugo Chavez has urged his idol, Cuban President Fidel Castro, to resume wearing his customary military uniform instead of the tracksuit he has sported since undergoing surgery last year."

Now the way I see it, Fidel has a reason for wearing a tracksuit - he's old, recovering from surgery, and has lived in a country which has exiled itself from the Western world for 50 years, hence has been mercifully spared the anguish of fashion.



When I visit the local shops in my 'hood on any given day, all of those trackie-dack wearing bogans don't have the same excuse. Hugo Chavez needs to come to Australia and smarten up the locals.

Parachute-silk should be banned by the Geneva convention anyway - if anyone is seen outside wearing anything made from this evil textile, UN Peacekeepers should be sent in...

Hey drug dealers, Commodore drivers, young mums who've let themselves go, and middle-aged women who get foils in their hair and watch Big Brother - a change is coming!

Personally, I can't wait...

Ladies & Gentlemen - Sarah Silverman

At the Melbourne International Film Festival last year, amongst the Estonian screwball comedies, the martial arts extravaganzas from Turkmenistan, and the biting tension of Samoan horror films, a little gem sat largely unnoticed in the programme.
“Jesus is Magic” by American comedian Sarah Silverman is a concert film with a difference – it features behind-the-scenes footage, music video montages, and interviews with her friends, and is hilarious!

And highly offensive.



Prior to this, I only knew Sarah Silverman as the bitch girlfriend of the dorky housemate of Jack Black’s in “School of Rock”, but she has been no stranger to American TV, now with her own show on Comedy Central in the US, and hey, she’s pretty cute.

And she works blue – how could I resist!

But this is not meant to be a Sarah Silverman 101 – I found this clip of her from the weekend’s MTV Movie Awards (which has to be the most ludicrous of all ludicrous awards shows), where Sarah struck gold – here’s her little comment on the future president of the USA, Paris Hilton, and her impending prison term…

"though you're great, and you're brave, you still lack that which makes you a star"

I hope I'm not gushing, I mean, I really hope that I'm not.

Since the first time I heard the opening chords to "Detroit Rock City" filter across the sound effect of the car radio on the opening track on Kiss' "Destroyer" album, music has always had the ability to transform me from a regular guy, with an ordinary life and the usual array of problems, to whomever I wanted to be. I guess good music has always made me euphoric.

As each new year begins, the anticipation of what new sound, what new band, what new album will be released which will again refresh my stores of unmitigated joy begins. And over the last few years, the supply has slowly started to dry up, with only few breaks of sunshine interrupting an otherwise cloudy musical year.

And that's why I hope I'm not gushing.

A month or two back, I got my mitts on the "Sound of Silver" album from LCD Soundsystem, and like their previous releases, I immersed myself in the sonic scape created by James Murphy et al. This new release was a slow grower, but I'm now smiling all the way.

Shit this is good.

I downloaded a bootleg of LCD Soundsystem's performance at this year's Coachella Festival a few weeks back, and although the sound quality was a tad on the crappy side, the spirit of their set shone through. Even though I'm in a self-imposed retirement from attending live shows at present, I will definitely leave the house to see this band play if they come to Melbourne. And I might even go to all of the shows they play here. They're that good.

And this track is amongst the best on the new album.

But I don't want to gush.